Texas Armadillo

[TexIndian]

How many of you have seen of of these before? We sometimes call them Texas speed bumps since them tend to jostle across the highways late at night. They are mainly nocturnal and make their living by digging around for roots and grubs. This guy is taking a long drink in late afternoon to get ready for the evening's activities.

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View attachment 8404

 

[tamachan]

How many of you have seen of of these before? We sometimes call them Texas speed bumps since them tend to jostle across the highways late at night. They are mainly nocturnal and make their living by digging around for roots and grubs. This guy is taking a long drink in late afternoon to get ready for the evening's activities.

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Here's a larger view to show his armor plating:

View attachment 8406

Heh... I miss those! Seriously, when I was living in Texas, I saw more of these as road ornaments than actually moving about. It's good to know that they are actually alive.

Nice shot.

 

[MontyDog]

#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax;

 

[Flew]

Don't think I ever seen a live one. Cool shots John. 8)

 

[Steve S]

Interesting critter, John

Never seen one in real life. Odd little fellas, aren't they?

 

[TexIndian]

These can be found most anywhere in Texas (in the country - they don't like it near towns). It's hard to believe they haven't spread to the other southern states. They can wreak havoc on a garden if they work up the nerve to get close to your house.

When threatened, they roll up in a ball and even a determined dog can't get past that armor. When I was a kid, I picked a few up to get a good look. I learned the first time to pick them up by the tail and to hold them away from the body. Notice those claws they have for digging? They will do a number on your body if you hold it too close.

When I was going to school at Baylor (in Waco), I had a friend from Pennsylvania. He thought armadillos were a mythical creature like the unicorn. I nearly died laughing the first time he saw one on the road one night. I thought he was going to crash the car he was so startled.

 

[gmaker1]

Great shot. Don't have any of those in Rochester, New York. Could use his body amour for the lousy drivers in upstate new york.

Gil

 

[Gale]

Really good shots of the guy in Armor.

We have bunches in Florida :>))

I think they are neat animals.

 

[PJohnP]

How many of you have seen of of these before? We sometimes call them Texas speed bumps since them tend to jostle across the highways late at night. They are mainly nocturnal and make their living by digging around for roots and grubs. This guy is taking a long drink in late afternoon to get ready for the evening's activities.

Oh, yeah. What's amazing to see the ones that have been hit after a day in the sun. They inflate dramatically, which then makes them roll over on their backs with their feet extended, and sometimes even sort of explode in the sun's heat.

Amazing critters.


John P.

 

[TexIndian]

They often eat carrion, which brings them out onto the highway where they become carrion themselves.

Interesting facts:
- They are one of the few mammals besides man who mate with the female on her back. After fertilization, the egg lies dormant inside the female for several months - timing itself so that the young are born in the spring.
- The egg divides and becomes 4 identical twins, who are born with their eyes open and ready to start grubbing.
- The variety found in the states is the 9-banded. In South America, the 11 and 13-banded varieties can grow as large as 125 pounds. There are a regular part of the diet there.
- During the depression, they were known as Hoover Hogs and were routinely eaten. They say the meat is actually quite good, like a high quality pork.
- They are much more dense than water and have a difficult time swimming. When crossing a small stream, they just take a deep breath and walk across the bottom. I've read that they can also inflate themselves to increase their buoyancy to cross larger bodies of water, but I've never seen that.

 

[PhotoDawg]

Nice capture. Armadillos are all over south Alabama. I was at a forestry camp at Auburn one year and we chased them all over the camp at night with our flashlights. A lot of fun.

 

[cmpalmer]

I saw a recently deceased on here in Huntsville the other day, so they do make there way farther up north in Alabama. I remember seeing a few in Auburn and I suppose their armor makes them a bit cocky. I walked beside one for about 100 yards once and it would give me a little nervous glance every once in a while, but never ran away -- just kept about 10' away and went about it's business.